Process of making cyanids



NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

I-IENR'Y SPENCER BLAOKMORE, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF MAKING CYANIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,694, dated June 14, 1898.

Application filed July 23, 1896. Renewed April 21, 1898- $erial N0- 6'78A35. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY SPENCER BLACK- MORE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes of Converting Metallic Sulfids into Cyanids, sulfocyanids, and Ferrocyanids, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce cyanids, sulfocyanids, and ferrocyanids of metals, particularly relating to those of the alkalis, such as'potassium and sodium; and it consists in transforming a metallic sulfid in a heated or molten condition by means of a metallic carbid in the presence of nitrogen gas.

As an example of the manner in which the process can be carried out on a practical basis I Will take, for example, the production of potassium cyanid, sulfocyanid, (thiocyanate,) and ferrocyanid from potassium sulfid.

In order to obtain the potassium sulfid in an economical manner, I employ potassium sulfate and heatit in a proper receptacle until melted. I then introduce deoxidizing agents, such as hydrocarbons in gaseous form, fine carbon, or, more preferably, carbon-bisulfid vapor. By the action of-these reagents the oxygen is removed from the sulfate, leaving potassium sulfid in a molten state. Then all the potassium sulfate has been converted into potassium sulfid, it is withdrawn from its container and placed in a highly-heated carbon-lined retort or receptacle. I then introduce, preferably in a heated state, iron carbid. in a coarse granulated form and maintain the mass at a high temperature, at the same time introducing and forcing nitrogen gas into and through the mass. The molten potassium sulfid is thus dissociated,the iron of .the carbid absorbing the sulfur, producing iron sulfid, while the carbon, together with the nitrogen, combines with the potassium, producing potassium cyanid.

The chemical formula or equation for the transformation of the potassium sulfid into cyanid may be illustrated in the following manner:

This formula, for simplicity, illustrates only the reaction during a complete transformation, not showing the details of complicated secondary reactions producing sulfocyanids and ferrocyanids.

During the process of transformation it often happens that some alkali sulfids contain a percentage of free sulfur, in which case if there is not an excess of iron carbid to remove the same more or less alkali sulfocyanid will beproduced, and, on the other hand, it is also obvious that under certain conditions there will be an excess of iron carbid, in which case alkali ferrocyanid will be produced. These complicated products of secondary reaction can, however, be readily transformed into alkali cyanid by converting the sulfocyanids into ferrocyanids by heating with iron and finally converting the ferrocyanid into cyanid by heating to high temperature, either alone or in the presence of alkali carbonates, in a manner well known to chemists.

The nitrogen gas employed is obtained from the atmosphere, the oxygen of which has been removed therefrom by passing the same through highly-heated iron turnings,whereby iron oxid is produced.

It is obvious that other metallic sulfids in a molten state may be employed to produce other metallic cyanide and other metallic carbids substituted for the iron carbid, as herein described; but I have found the iron carbid the most economical.

It is readily seen from the foregoing description that my invention consists, essentially, in transforming, primarily, metallic sulfids intocyanids, and, secondarily, into sulfocyanids and ferrocyanids by treatment in a molten state with metallic carbids in the pres ence of nitrogen gas.

Having now described my process, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process for converting metallic sulfids into metallic cyanids, sulfocyanids, and ferrocyanids, which consists in exposing molten sulfids to the combined action of a metallic carbid and nitrogen gas substantially as desulfids in a heated or molten state to the ac- 5. The process for converting metallic sulfids into cyanids, sulfoeyanids, and ferrocyanids, which consists in melting the metallic sulfid and introducing into the same iron carbid and nitrogen gas substantially as described. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 20th day of July, 18%.

HEN Y SPENCER BLACKMORE.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. A. SCHENCK, JAMES W. RICH. 

